70

“No. Mine.” D’ziko keeps watching Adunbi. Obviously he doesn't think the other three pose a threat; he barely spares them a glance as they crouch forward, ready to leap.
Adunbi nods his head once, the other males from his clan close in on D'ziko.
The female however moves blindingly fast, she is at my window in less than a second. D'ziko is faster. I don’t even see it happen but somehow he is crouched, facing an angry Adunbi, with the girl’s throat in his hand.
D’ziko digs his long fingers in her jugular vein, holding her in the air. She is kicking aimlessly, her eyes moistening with blood.
Adunbi steps back, a murderous glare at me.
D'ziko growls, his glowing eyes reflecting the sky on a moonless night. His fingers dig deeper still in the girl’s throat. She stops struggling and glances pleadingly at Adunbi, her eyes red with unshed tears.
I'd recognise her face anywhere. This is Sno, Adunbi’s sister. She overdosed on merryz a couple of years ago. She made headlines: the first known person to die of merryz overdose.
“We won’t hurt the human.” Adunbi pleads. His haunted eyes flash at me. I shiver. “Just let my sister go.”
D'ziko glares unseeing at the men in front of him.
“Adunbi, he’s gone fatal,” A shadow shouts. “He’s totally submerged into his inner god.”
Adunbi takes a step forward with his hands up in surrender; D'ziko tightens his hold on Sno’s neck. She glances hopelessly at his face.
If D’ziko kills Sno’s shadow, she won't ever get to meet the Gods.
I leave my carriage at once.
Another yells, “He’ll kill her.”
When Adunbi takes a desperate step forward. D'ziko shakes his hand and I almost see the life flash out of Sno’s eyes.
“Mam’lambo, can’t ya do something?” K’Nyamba.
I’ve never been more relieved to hear a voice than at this moment. It feels like the first ray of sunshine after a storm.
I glance around for D’ziko’s family and there they stand, horrified, and shaken.
Everyone else seems to sense the danger, to move away frightened from D'ziko when he takes a step forward.
I roll my eyes on the inside. D’ziko is not gonna hurt anyone.
Is he?
“D'ziko,” I call, closing the distance between us.
He drops Sno’s body and begins circling it, his body rigid, his eyes bloodlust slits.
“He can’t hear ya, Imani,” Mam’lambo says.
“What’s happening to him?”
“Gods have an inner being, we call it shells, just like humans call it a subconscious. It's what makes them omnipotent after their death.
“He’s most dangerous now. He’s a predator, don't get any closer.”
When ya kill a shadow ya unlock the curse of the Noddons. This curse brings a month of constant bad luck and with the Essence Thief still out there, we need all the luck the Gods can spare us.
I take a careful step forward. “How do I stop him?”
“ya can’t,” she says, sounding horrified. “He’ll come out of it in his own time.”
“He’ll kill her.”
“That’s probably the only way,” she says. “He kills anything in his way. That’ll calm the beast down enough for D'ziko to fight against it taking over his body completely.”
“Completely?” I bellow. There is a chance D'ziko won’t come back to me?
“That’s what happens when we lose our life-mates.” Her eyes flickered towards D'ziko and back at me. “We have to be executed.”
My heart presses against my chest painfully, this might be the possible future for D’ziko if I were to die.
“D'ziko,” I say launching myself five feet in front of him.
“Imani no!” someone yells behind me, by the small voice, it might be K’Nyamba, but I’m not sure, I don’t have time to turn around to look.
“Foolish girl,” Whele says. “He’ll kill ya, then he’ll kill us for letting him do that to ya. Get back.”
D'ziko reacts too. His growl is vicious as he turns his murderous eyes on me; watching, studying. He stands protectively over his prey, Sno.
“D'ziko it’s me, Imani.” I take another step forward and D'ziko growls louder.
I still.
Footsteps echo behind me and D'ziko growls again. A warning. They retreat. Probably someone who’d come to take me away from him.
My heart pounds louder. I have to be careful. I shouldn't startle him.
I take another step and he crouches lower, if I get any close he’ll attack. My heart is a drum.
“Oh, ya’re not as scary as ya think.” I sink down and cross my legs beneath me.
“Imani, please.” Whele sounds on the verge of tears. He must care a lot about D’ziko. “He’s not himself. He’ll hurt ya.”
I ignore him. I have to do this.
“D'ziko,” I say slowly. “I know ya can hear me. I know ya can fight this. Come back to me.”
The creature in front of me stares me down as though he is daring me to try to take a claim on his prey.
“Come on.” I stretch my hand toward him.
He bares his gleaming teeth.
Someone shouts, “Whele do something, he’s about to attack her.”
“No!” I say, waving whoever just spoke away. “Stay back. D'ziko won’t hurt me.”
D'ziko takes a step toward me and pins his ears back.
Fear swirls around me. Oh Leza. What am I doing?
“Okaaaay,” I say, my voice uneven.
For the briefest second his eyes turn silver. Relief floods me. He is fighting through the heavy fog trapping him.
I measure his expression before I speak. “Take this.” I stripe off my jacket. “It’s the nicest jacket I own. ya’ll have to replace it.”
I throw it at him. As expected he launches for it, tearing it up in shreds.
“Hey, go easy on it.” I wail. “It’s still my favourite.”
He doesn't appear like he's heard me.
“D’ziko please.” Surprisingly he looks up at the sound of his name. His eyes moons, again, for a long silent moment.
I take that as my motivation. “ya know D'ziko, I never got why ya don't want to outlive me.” His eyes widen. “Now I do.” I blink back the tears. “Because I don't wanna lose ya either."
D'ziko takes one step forward; he is but an inch away. I raise my hand and touch his face. He visibly relaxes under my touch, his eyes closed for a second. His fighting a battle only he can see.
“For what it’s worth ya’re the most important thing to me, too.” A tear rolls down my cheek. “I love ya. ya hear me, don’t ya?”
He opens his eyes and they are glowing black. He hesitates. He probably doesn’t know what he is doing here, with my hand on his face.
I lean toward him, seeking out his warmth.
“Not that close, Imani,” Whele says. “He’s eyes have changed again.”
I ignore him.
“D'ziko can ya hear me?”
He shakes his head as though that will help his confusion. As though it will drawn out my voice.
“Good.” My hand trails down to his neck. “ya would never hurt me D'ziko.”
He closes the distance between us.
“Try not to move,” Whele calls out. “Nothing too drastic. A simple touch might trigger him.”
“I trust ya,” I tell D’ziko. “Can’t ya see that? I trust ya with my life.”
D'ziko eyes are silver for a second.
“Sit next to me.” He slowly sinks down. I brush his stiff shoulders. “Relax.”
Ja. There we go. Just relax. Relax.
“Look at me.” He does. And then to everyone else: “Everyone close yer eyes. Don't look. No matter what.”
“But--” Wheel interrupts.
“No matter what!”
I close my eyes and my heart starts thumping. My hands tremble as I peel off his mask and crush my lips to his.
The air between us stifles. The heat presses at my chest. And he kisses my back. The passion drowning out the world around us.
“Impossible.” Someone is saying. Possibly a shadow. “She’s taming him.”
“I know,” Another says.
When we part, we're both breathless.
“Imani,” D’ziko says. He kisses my temple. “Open yer eyes.”
“ya came back.” I weep my relief, throwing my hands around him.
Of course his mask is already on him.
He laughs. “I had no choice.”
He leaps to his feet and offers me his hand. “Let’s go.”
“Where’s the rest of yer family?”
“They’ll meet us back at the house.”
“No,” I say. “I need to go home.”
“The shadows, I can smell them.” D'ziko’s voice is low and grave. “ya know they won't stop until they have ya.”
They never stop. That's why someone brought them back to life. They're loyal to their masters. Servants that will stop at nothing until they capture me and take me to whoever sent them.
The Essence Thief.
He's using my mother's gift to do dark magic.
D’ziko slides in beside me and the horses take off.
The fog is too thick for me to see where we are. D'ziko keeps glancing at me every few seconds, watching me like a hawk.
“Faster,” he says, pulling at the ropes.
The carriage is moving too fast. It’s nauseating. D'ziko hands me a paper bag. He knows what is coming. I want to shake my head stubbornly but my throat opens to make way for this morning's breakfast.
D'ziko flings the bag out and leans to wipe the side of my face.
“Thanks,” I mumble.
He nods once. The horse gallop. Fast and faster. Fast and faster.
“Adunbi,” I finally remember and the fear grips me again.
He doesn't answer.
“The shadows, where are they?”
He can’t look at me.
“For the sake of all that’s godly. Answer me dammit.”
A crow suddenly is sitting at the dashboard The nessage is abrupt and does little to improve his mood.
“K’Nyamba says they lost them.”
“What do ya mean he lost them?” I ask. “That's bullshit. He can fly. They're on land. How difficult can it be?”
“They are shadows. Not human.” He reminds me. “They can blend into their surroundings. Joining the shadows around them.”
Like a chameleon.
A crushing thunder sounds behind us. I jolt, the fear freezing my heart for a second. I forget how to breathe.
They must've told the Essence Thief they couldn't get me.
And now? And now he's angry.
“We don’t have much time,” D’ziko says, he rides the horses faster still, pushing them to their limit. “I can smell them. ya know how they are. The Essence Thief has probably sent in more after ya. We have to get ya to safety.”
I don't object to that. The palace comes into view. In a few minutes I'll be home. In my mother's arms. There's a group of people on the front lawn. D’ziko kisses my cheek and levitates into the fog. It swallows him completely.